Rehabilitation of Wayanad landslide victims: Kerala to publish first list of beneficiaries

Wayanad: Revenue Minister K Rajan said preparations are underway for the rehabilitation of people displaced by the massive landsides at Mundakkai and Chooralmala. Addressing the media on Thursday, the minister announced that the plan to build houses in the disaster-hit wards is being finalised.

The revenue department will finalise the list of the people who will be rehabilitated in the first phase, he said. A list of beneficiaries prepared by the revenue department and Meppadi panchayat will be published soon. 

“Once the list is published, people can file complaints with panchayat and collectorate. District Disaster Management Authority will take a final decision on these complaints. No-go zones where human habitation is restricted will be identified in Mundakkai and Chooralmala. A list of these zones will be published. Human habitation will be restricted in these zones,” the minister said.

The minister added that people would be allowed to continue living in the rental homes until the rehabilitation project was completed. The government will pay the rent for these people, he added.
The minister, however, criticised the central government for not declaring the Wayanad landslides as a disaster of severe nature and denying adequate relief package.

The landslides that struck Wayanad in July claimed over 200 lives, left several people missing, injured hundreds, and destroyed thousands of properties.